This last month of June has been the busiest of them all. I was tutoring Spanish and English on my ‘spare’ time. In China, teaching a foreign language is well paid, specially if you are a native speaker. There is always a school hiring or parents who want their children to improve their language skills. For me tutoring Spanish was better, not only because is my first language but the pay rate is higher. So I began looking for students. As soon as I placed an add online emails started filling my inbox. Unfortunately I could not commit to everyone. Getting around in Beijing is not that easy, sometimes it takes up a long time to get somewhere particularly during rush hour. Traffic is one of the biggest problems in Beijing and the #1 reason I’m always running late! The subway might be faster but everything depends on the location you are heading to. It could take an hour to get there then an hour back.

I saved the money from teaching to do some traveling during the summer, and after my bicycle was stolen I decided to upgrade to a scooter!

This post is not about any place in particular but about my life in China. You would never know what this country is like – even if you read about it, see videos and photos – until you see it live. Previous to my departure I read about China and its culture, watched numerous videos, read blogs, and talked to friends that have lived here before. But it was not until I moved to Beijing that I experience the REAL China. I have yet to experience a real ‘cultural exchange’ living with a host Chinese family. At the moment I stay at the school dorms, but I am really hoping to have this experience once.

It takes time to get used to a new place. This isn’t my first abroad experience but it is definitely the hardest one to adapt to. With only two months and a half of moving to Beijing, I’ve seen a lot that I like and much more that I just can’t do anything about it. It is definitely a whole different world!

Some of the biggest things that I’ve had a hard time to adapt to have been: Continue Reading

The first weeks in Beijing were amazing but it is time to go back to reality. It was almost like living a dream for a couple of days, going to new places, meeting people from everywhere, and knowing more of this beautiful country. Oh well, I am really excited about speaking Mandarin and stop looking like a dumb person in front of locals when I’m trying to ask for a bottle of water, at least they understand my sign language. Now that I am adjusted to the time change, the cold weird weather, the (contaminated) air (cough, cough) and experienced a little bit of what Beijing has to offer it is time to study hard.